William Faulkner, and honor the literary heritage of New Orleans Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Faulkner House, 624 Pirate&#8217;s Alley. Guests of honor for the literary evening are Josephine Sacabo, Dalt Wonk, John Shelton Reed and David Armand. Art photographer Sacabo and playwright...
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Celebrate the birthday of the Faulkner Society’s namesake, Nobel laureate William Faulkner, and honor the literary heritage of New Orleans Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Faulkner House, 624 Pirate’s Alley.

Guests of honor for the literary evening are Josephine Sacabo, Dalt Wonk, John Shelton Reed and David Armand.

Art photographer Sacabo and playwright and poet Wonk have published a new book, “Nocturnes,” a husband-wife team effort featuring Wonk’s poetry.

Armand will present his debut novel, “The Pugilist’s Wife.”

“Dixie Bohemia” is the title of Reed’s new nonfiction book about the 1920s literary renaissance with talented young writers Faulkner, Maxwell Anderson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Lyle Saxon, Roark Bradford and Anita Loos.

The guests of honor will appear as faculty at Words & Music, a Literary Feast, Nov. 28-Dec. 2, as will author Ernest Gaines, among other notables.

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This is shocking, but true.

More than 50 percent of Americans, including college graduates, do not read literature. Nearly one-third of American teenagers are dropping out of school because of declining reading comprehension. Deficient readers are more likely to end up in prison or as burdens to society.

This is why Rosemary James, co-founder along with Joe DeSalvo and Dr. Kenneth Holditch of the Faulkner Society, is so excited about getting a Big Read project going here.

The Big Read project, made possible with a National Endowment of the Arts grant, is designed to get more teenagers to read and will focus on a book by Ernest Gaines, “A Lesson Before Dying.”

Helping to put free copies of Gaines’ book in the hands of teens are grant partners Jefferson Parish Public Library, State Library of Louisiana and Louisiana State Museum.

“We are embarking today on a campaign of soliciting donations to buy copies of ‘A Lesson Before Dying’ for free distribution to middle and high school classes,” James said.

For the reading public, a gala kickoff happens at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Cabildo on Jackson Square. The event is free.

For reservations, contact James at Faulkhouse@aol.com.

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Madame John’s Legacy sets the scene for a major exhibit of Newcomb Pottery, “The Palm, the Pine and the Cypress,” and shows its importance to the history of Southern Art.

In 1896, the newly opened art department of Newcomb College for women began creating handcrafts echoing the design principles of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The exhibit opens this weekend and includes pottery appraisals by David Rago and Jean Bragg.

For reservations, call 504.523.3939 or visit friendsofthecabildo.com.

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Another major pottery exhibit is the collection of French Quarter residents Kimberly Wooten Rosenberg and Harry Rosenberg. I was blown away by the staggering number of pieces of Shearwater pottery and its scope.

Kimberly started collecting as a teenager, starting a lifelong passion.

The exhibit is in the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, Miss., and it runs until Dec. 31. It’s definitely worth the drive.

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Tonight, enjoy the first fall concert series, Jazz in the Park. The concerts happen every Thursday through Nov. 1 at Armstrong Park with an impressive roster of musicians, vendors and crafts.

It’s a whole lot of fun. The neighborhood organization PUfAP, People United for Armstrong Park, gets the credit for supporting more public access and events.

PUfAP has led many community good deeds, such as purchasing bike racks for the park.

“We are very excited about the concerts,” said PUfAP cofounder Emanuel Lain Jr. Visit pufap.org for information.

Y’all come.

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Jon Kemp writes about the French Quarter, CBD, Marigny, Bywater and Treme. Send news and events to Islandlog@aol.com.